A Debt of Gratitude
by wordslinger
Summary: Who says bad boys can't turn good? Jerza. Complete.


_**Author's Note: For Jelulz based on the following tumblr prompt -**_

 _ **"I'm a super tough punk who hates authority. Your parents are cops who have met me more than once but I like you a lot."**_

 _ **It's not exactly the like the prompt but when I sat down and started typing, this is what came out. Sorry it's a little sad.**_

* * *

The familiar sound of sirens rang out into the night and Jellal's shoulders fell into a slump. He took a seat on the curb and decided to just wait.

"Fernandes!" Erik shouted. "Come on! We gotta get out of here!"

"Nah, I'm done running."

 _"What?"_ Erik stopped mid-stride and turned to stare wide-eyed at Jellal.

"I'm tired. You go on."

Erik shook his head and turned to run. "Whatever, man."

Jellal picked at the blades of grass and sighed. He really was tired. Sixteen and already sick of his life – it seemed a bad omen. When the squad car pulled up next to him he stretched his legs out in front of him and folded his hands in his lap.

"Well, Mister Fernandes, I can't say this is a surprise." The male officer said as he approached. "Care to tell me what happened here?"

"Just your typical Saturday night vandalism, sir," he tried to grin cheekily but his mouth would only form a grimace.

"I'm a little surprised you didn't run like the rest of your friends."

Jellal choked out a dry laugh. "Yeah… friends. Can we just get this over with? I don't know where they went, but I'm here. Go ahead and take me in."

The officer knelt in front of him in the road. "Jellal –"

"Don't ask me to talk about it, Officer Scarlet. You know I don't have to."

"You're right. Come on, then. I still have to cuff you." The man sighed as he wrapped Jellal's hands in the restraints. "Your social worker isn't going to like this."

"There's a lot of stuff she doesn't like," Jellal mumbled as he ducked into the back seat of the squad car.

* * *

The ceiling of the holding cell hadn't changed. Not that he'd expected it to. He'd been in and out of this box ever since he was old enough to be considered a threat and it was starting to feel safer than anywhere else he could be. At least here he was fed and someone remembered he existed.

A crinkle of plastic wrap caught his attention and he saw a familiar face on the other side of the bars.

"Here," the uniformed woman said, and offered him a package of powdered donuts. "Did you have lunch? …or anything today?" Her concern hurt him a little.

"No," he mumbled taking the donuts.

"Listen, I called your social worker and she'll be here in the morning. I'm sorry it won't be sooner."

"It's fine."

"No, Jellal, it's not fine. They'll probably send you somewhere else now. Your dad hasn't been seen in weeks."

He shrugged and stuffed a donut in his mouth. "I like it when he's gone."

"Kids need parents."

"Not parents like mine," he said stretching out on the cot. "Don't worry about it, ma'am. It'll work out."

The woman didn't leave until he'd finished the donuts and she took the empty wrapper. He knew she wasn't supposed to supply him with food, but for whatever reason she and her husband – the man who'd brought him in – were always kind to him.

"I'm the police officer, and you're the child criminal. You can't give me orders on what to worry about, Jellal." He could hear the smirk in her voice as he rolled over to face the wall.

"Yeah, yeah."

* * *

"I'm afraid we haven't been able to locate your parents," Miss Lockser said softly glancing up from the stack of papers in front of her. "Do you have other family in Magnolia?"

"My dad's sister lives on the north side of town, but she hasn't spoken to us in years."

"Do you think she'd be open to fostering you until we can find something more permanent?"

Jellal shrugged. The only thing he knew about his aunt was that she was an eccentric woman who practiced holistic medicine from her living room. She was unfriendly, and kept to herself.

"Do you know her name?" Miss Lockser's phone vibrated and she frowned. "I'm sorry, Jellal, but if you could just write down what contact information you have about her on this form, I'll get a hold of her. Excuse me for a moment; I need to take this call.

He chewed on his lip as he wrote Porlyusica's address on the paper his social worker left. Even if she refused to give him a place to stay and he ended up in a group home, things couldn't possibly be any worse than the mess of a house his father kept.

* * *

Porlyusica had pursed her lips and scowled but she didn't turn him away. Miss Lockser declared the guest room, bathroom, and kitchen to be satisfactory and left him with a promise that she'd handle everything. In return, she made him swear he'd behave himself and stay out of police custody. Jellal simply nodded and watched from his aunt's porch as her car disappeared.

"Well, are you going to stand outside all day or come in?" His aunt's stern face reminded him of his father's.

"Yeah, okay." Jellal followed her into the house and to the kitchen where she filled a kettle for tea. "Listen, I don't want to be a burden for you. I'm sure Miss Lockser –"

"Nonsense. You'll stay here." Porlyusica glared at him as if he'd suggested something heinous. Her eyes roamed his face until the kettle screeched. She handed him a mug of tea and turned to leave the kitchen. "You look just like your mother. I'm glad. I'll enroll you in school tomorrow."

That night Jellal stared at an entirely new ceiling and smiled.

* * *

His new school seemed to be the polar opposite of his old one. The grounds were well kept and even the bike racks gleamed in the morning sun. Jellal trailed behind his aunt into the main office and paid little attention as an exchange of papers was made. He was given a schedule and his aunt – unnecessarily – reiterated the directions back to her house. She lived too close to the school for bus service so he'd be walking.

She left him in the front hallway and he waited for the student office-aide to show up and give him a tour of the building. The only imperfection he'd noticed all morning was a snag in the berber carpet that covered the administrative areas.

"Jellal Fernandes?" a voice called to him. When he looked up to find the speaker, he didn't think he ever wanted to look away again.

"Uh, yeah. That's me," he muttered. The girl smiled and it was like the sun had risen in the small hallway and chased away all of the clouds in his mind. She held out her hand and he stared dumbly at it.

"I'm Erza." Her smile faltered when he failed to shake her hand. "Jellal? Are you okay?"

"Oh, right. Yes. I'm fine." He reached out and took her hand and decided she had the most perfect hands in the history of hands.

"Maybe I should show you the nurse's office first," she joked.

"No, I'm just… it's a little overwhelming. There's been a lot of new stuff for me lately. Sorry."

"Oh, did you just move to Magnolia?"

"Uh, not exactly. Just to this part of town."

"I see, well welcome to Fairy Tail! It's a pretty decent school but the room numbers can be a little tricky. I'll show you how it works, though. Can I see your schedule?"

Jellal handed her the slip of paper and watched as she looked it over. It occurred to him that her features were vaguely familiar but he couldn't quite place where he might have seen her.

"It looks like we have a few classes together, including biology which is right before lunch. You can sit with my friends and I!"

Jellal's face must have twisted because she suddenly looked worried.

"Are you sure you're okay, Jellal?"

"Yeah, I'm sorry. We can go now… if you want." She smiled again and turned to lead him into the main hallway. Classes had already started for the day so they were alone. Erza explained the system of hallways and room numbers and he really tried to pay attention, but her hair was captivating. It fell in a beautiful curtain of the most vibrant red he'd ever seen and the ends curled in a way that begged to be touched and twisted around his fingers.

She suddenly stopped walking and he nearly stumbled into her. "So this is your first period classroom. Just remember your next class is two hallways over and halfway down. I'll be in there so if you're late I'll come find you." Erza winked at him and opened the door. Jellal took a deep breath to calm his racing pulse and followed her inside.

* * *

Jellal fell backwards onto his bed. He was exhausted. It had been a while since he'd done a full day of school without skipping one class, and truth be told, he hadn't hated it.

Lunch period had been the most… interesting. Erza's friends were fairly lively and asked a lot of questions. Not in the intrusive, judgmental way, but they seemed genuinely curious and welcomed him into their group easily. The only hitch had been the appearance of Erza's ex-boyfriend. He handed her a shoebox wordlessly, then disappeared into the crowd. Erza had glared at the box before shoving it into her backpack. The blonde girl, Lucy, had patted her arm and smiled sympathetically before Erza shook her head and switched back to the girl he'd met that morning.

He didn't know anything about that Simon guy, but he hated him on Erza's behalf.

"How was school?" Porlyusica asked crisply from his doorway. He sat up and grimaced.

"Fine. I have some homework."

"That's good. Dinner is at six." His aunt left him alone again and rather than feeling frustrated by her seemingly distant nature, he appreciated her concern. No one had asked him about his day in… well the end of that trail of thought was depressing.

* * *

Three weeks with Porlyusica brought a lot of changes. She informed him over dinner four days after his arrival that she'd began the adoption procedure with Miss Lockser. Her unasked question was whether or not he had a problem with that, and his silent answer was a resounding _no_. Life with his aunt was quiet, and secure. He didn't really appreciate how much he'd longed for such a thing until he had it.

He still hadn't figured out why Erza looked so familiar to him, but he decided to let it go for now. Her friend Lucy teased him about his obvious crush and let him know that he'd have to be direct with her. Erza wasn't the best at subtext and appreciated honesty. She'd also noticed him checking out astronomy books from the library and offered a personal copy of _The Universe in a Nutshell_ , since the library's copy was always on reserve. Jellal decided Lucy was pretty cool – even if her taste in boys was questionable. Natsu seemed like a real handful.

"Hey!" Erza's voice cut through his concentration and she smiled down at him. "Can I join you?"

"Uh, sure." Jellal straightened his piles of books and schoolwork, and cleared a space for her at the picnic table.

"Lots of catch-up work still, huh?" She peered at his belongings and smiled.

"Yeah, but it's okay. I like the distraction."

"You've got a lot of books about space here. Is it a hobby?"

"Kind of, but really I'm interested in the astronomy class for next year. I'd rather not have to cram for the entrance exam."

"Lucy is into that kind of thing, too," Erza said slowly.

"Yeah, I know, she leant me a few personal books. It was nice of her."

Erza sighed and fidgeted with a strand of her hair. "Do you like her? I mean, you know she's with Natsu, right?"

"Uh, no." His face felt ridiculously warm in the autumn air. "I mean, yes, I do _like_ her, but not… in _that_ way."

"Good!" Her eyes ran over everything but him. "I was just checking, you know. For… reasons… posterity." He couldn't help but smile at the way her cheeks turned pink. "Stuff."

"It's fine, Erza."

"Do you want to go to the big game with me tonight? It's here at the school, and you don't have to if you don't want to… you probably have plans anyway…" She rambled and he almost didn't want to stop her.

"I'd love to. We didn't have a lot of sports programs at my old school."

"That's a bummer. I'll admit our team isn't that great, but it'll still be fun." Her smile seemed to make her entire body glow. "My parents will probably be there, but they usually keep to themselves. Will your aunt go?"

Jellal couldn't contain his laughter. The very thought of Porlyusica at a high school sporting event was hysterical. "No, she's not really into that kind of thing."

An alarm on Erza's phone sounded and her smile fell. "Well, I've got to go. I tutor underclassmen after school and being late sets a bad example." She stood and gathered her hair over a shoulder – though Jellal much preferred the way the wind ruffled it. "I'll wait for you by the gates tonight!"

She left him alone at the table smiling like a fool. Erza may not have been good with subtext but she didn't have a problem charging ahead with what she wanted.

* * *

The evening was cool and Porlyusica had forbidden him from leaving the house without a jacket. Her insistence didn't bother him and he'd waved the sweater at her before leaving the house. The adoption would be complete soon and so far his father had remained missing from Magnolia. Jellal would be okay never seeing the man again.

He spotted Erza from across the parking lot. Her hair was tied in a ponytail and her hands were hidden in her pockets. Unlike him, she hadn't thought to bring a jacket. Obviously the chivalrous thing to do was to offer his. Which he did.

"Are you sure?" she asked hesitantly. "Won't you be cold?"

"I'd rather me be chilled than you," he mumbled and held out the hooded jacket. She fluffed her hair from the collar and he caught a whiff of fruity shampoo and hoped to any god in existence the scent would linger.

They wound through the crowd together as she showed him the different areas of the sports complex. Porlyusica had given him some money for concessions but he didn't think he could pay attention to something like a rumbling stomach when Erza clung to his hand the way she did. She was about to pull him up into the bleachers when she spotted her parents.

"It's better if I say hi to them now before they come looking for me," she said with a smile.

As they neared the couple standing at the end of a ridiculously long line for beer, Jellal's heart began to pound. He felt incredibly stupid to not have noticed it before. All of the reasons why Erza felt familiar in features were completely obvious when her mother turned to greet them.

 _Her parents were police officers._

And not just _any_ police officers. He couldn't even remember the amount of times her dad had cuffed him and helped him into the backseat of his squad car. The last time he'd seen Erza's mother she'd offered him powdered donuts in a jail cell.

The two off-duty officers didn't give any indication that they'd previously met. They simply smiled and shook his hand.

"Did you forget your coat again, Erza?" her dad asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah," she said picking at the appliqué design of his jacket. "But Jellal was kind enough to lend me his."

"That was very sweet of you, Jellal," her mother said.

"My aunt wouldn't let me leave home without one," he mumbled staring at his shoes.

"I'm glad you have someone to remind you of things like that," the woman said softly.

"We're going to go watch the game now, I'll see you at home!" Erza moved to pull him away but her mother placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Why don't you come with me to the cash machine, real quick. You should have enough for some kind of dinner even if it's stadium food." She winked at Jellal and directed her daughter toward yet another line.

Jellal turned to face the very Officer Scarlet who'd taken his picture and fingerprints countless times.

"I heard you've moved in with your aunt from the social worker."

"Yeah," he muttered and dug the toe of his shoe into a crack in the pavement. "Listen, I didn't know Erza was your daughter. I can go if you want. She can probably do better than someone like me anyway."

"I trust my daughter, Jellal. And I know you're not a bad kid." He stepped toward Jellal and spoke in a quieter voice. "You're not your dad."

Jellal couldn't hide his shock. "But –"

"Everyone deserves a new start. But I will say one thing," the man's face darkened. "If you hurt my baby girl I swear the backseat of my squad car will seem like a vaca–"

"We're back! Come on, Jellal, we should try and find everyone." Erza grabbed his arm and pulled him toward the stairs that led up into the bleachers. "Bye, dad!"

Erza's mother smiled at him and her dad continued to frown until the woman poked him in the ribs.

"Sorry about my parents. They can be such cops sometimes."

"It's fine. They seemed pretty nice to me. Listen, Erza, I have to tell you something."

"Yeah?" She stopped on the first landing of stairs and turned to him.

"Your dad has arrested me before. I don't even know how many times your mom has booked me into a holding cell." His mouth turned down into a frown and he stared at his shoes. "I should've told you all of that before but I just…" he sighed. "I liked you so much and I wanted you to like me too."

Erza stepped into his side and wrapped her arms around his middle. "I do like you. And I'm pretty sure my parents wouldn't have let you walk away with me just now if they didn't like you too." She smiled up at him. "For what it's worth, they hated Simon. He wasn't even allowed at my house."

"Your dad can be scary sometimes."

She leaned up to press her lips to his cheek. "I can be scarier," she whispered. "Come on, Lucy is supposed to be saving us seats."

Erza led the way through the crowd and Jellal couldn't remember a time in his life when he'd been happier to be anywhere. He had people to look out for him now, people to be disappointed when he screwed up, and proud when he did well. As much gratitude as he felt toward Porlyusica he knew he owed Officers Scarlet even more.


End file.
